Police have launched an investigation into an ‘intimate act’ between two people on a Ferris wheel at Download festival, after alleged footage of the encounter has been widely circulated over social media.
A spokesperson for Leicestershire Police has urged anyone with information on the interaction, which reportedly took place shortly before headliners Guns N’ Roses took the main stage on Saturday evening (June 13), to report online via their website.
“Officers are aware of a video on social media concerning two people acting inappropriately while on a Ferris wheel at Download this weekend,” they say.
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“The incident is currently being investigated and officers are in contact with the organisers of the festival. Enquiries in relation to this are ongoing and police are working to identify and speak to the people involved.
“Anyone with information is asked to report online at www.leics.police.uk – quoting crime reference 26*346427.”
The social media video was viewed by many people across Instagram and TikTok, spawning controversy and a number of memes. No one has been charged with any crime related to the incident at time of publication.
One alleged witness tells The Daily Star: “Originally for the first rotation of the wheel people thought he was just standing behind her with his arms around her, looking at the view. But, as it got lower, somebody shouted ‘I can see her pants pulled aside!”
They add: “They were literally in a glass pod above everyone’s heads at the busiest point of the night, just before Guns N’ Roses were due on. All I can think is they thought the glass was tinted, but it wasn’t at all, it was actually spotless, you could see everything. I just hope they cleaned the cabin after they got out of it.”
This year’s Download, the 23rd iteration of the festival, was held from June 10 to 14 at Donington Park, with a reported attendance of 95,000. The Friday was headlined by Limp Bizkit, marking their first time atop the Download bill, and the Sunday was headlined by Linkin Park. Co-fronted by Emily Armstrong, the band became the first with a female singer to headline the festival’s main stage.
During an interview over the weekend, Mike Shinoda revealed Armstrong’s response to being the first frontwoman to close out the UK’s biggest rock and metal gathering.
“I asked her and she said: ‘If it wasn’t us, it would’ve just been someone else, because there are so many great female-fronted bands,’” he said. “But, she’s so grateful, she wanted you guys to know, she’s so grateful that she is the one and that she’ll remember it forever.”
Download will return to Donington Park from June 9 to 13. No performers have been announced at time of publication.